


Part-timer

by saruhiko_bb



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Comedy, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-04-12 15:30:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4484707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saruhiko_bb/pseuds/saruhiko_bb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aoba meets his new employee and comes to find he has one more brat to worry about at work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First time I'll be trying to write a multichapter fic! I hope you enjoy >u
> 
> Beta'd by Lyka! ( http://noizudesu.tumblr.com) I can't thank you enough!   
> You can find my blog here http://blushingbluenette.tumblr.com

The feeling of soft prodding on his back, the sound of constant beeping, and the yelling of Tae from downstairs are the first three things Aoba comes to notice when he wakes up. Three things that mean he's definitely late.

"Shit!" Throwing his blankets off in a flash, Aoba nearly knocks Ren over, who had previously been trying to paw at him to wake up. "Ren, I'm so sorry!" Aoba shouts. Wagging his tail, Ren let’s out a nonchalant response, “Don’t worry, Aoba. I’ve gotten accustomed to it.” Turning around, Aoba gives him a pout and sticks out his tongue. “You dont have to put it like that, you know.” Ren tilts his head, “I’m sorry, Aoba. However, you really should be more concerned about getting ready for work.” Taking Ren’s advice, Aoba grabs some clothes from his dresser.

After changing into some more suitable clothing, he heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth, which is when he comes to notice he has some pesky bedhead. Mussing his hair in an attempt to fix it, he only manages to make it worse. Ah, typical. Nothing he could do about it now... Where’s Koujaku when you need him? Pouting a bit, Aoba groans to himself and gives up on his hair.

Opening the door, he almost trips on Ren who was waiting outside. “Wah! Ren!” Aoba yells, trying to catch his balance. “Sorry, Aoba. I was just checking on you.” Smiling, he bends down to pick him up.With Ren in tow, Aoba heads to his room to grab his bag. “It’s alright, Ren. So, how am I doing on time?” Wagging his tail Ren confirms just what Aoba didn’t want to hear, “I suggest you depart immediately.” Clicking his tongue, Aoba gets a move on.

After getting ready in record time, Aoba dashed downstairs only to come face to face with a fuming Tae. Alongside her is Sei with his usual angelic smile. “Aoba, don’t tell me, were you up all night playing games again?” Sei chimes. Aoba scoffs. As if Sei wasn’t the one playing them with him all night. Before he can make a comment, Tae is at him again.

“How many times do I have to tell you to wake up on time?” With a huff she smacks Aoba on the shoulder. “Sorry, sorry!” He yelps, dashing out of the way. Aoba doesn’t miss that Sei is covering his mouth to keep from laughing. Some big brother he is. 

Watching the whole thing unfold, Sei can’t not be entertained. He knows how Aoba can be, he just doesn’t know how Tae can still manage to freak out every morning. Even if it is his fault. Tae notices the face Aoba makes at Sei and turns to him, but in no time he’s got that innocent smile back on his face. Unbelievable.

With Tae momentarily distracted, Aoba sneaks into the kitchen to snag a couple donuts for breakfast. Making his way to the corridor, he quickly slips on his shoes, being sure not to trip again.

Sighing, Tae goes back to the kitchen to clean up a bit. “And don’t forget to lock the door, will you!” With the wave of his hand, Aoba heads out the door. “See you guys later!” He shouts. Sei just chuckles and shakes his head making sure to lock the door behind Aoba. He can help him out with this at least.

Finally out the house, Aoba lets out of sigh of relief. Tae always lets him have it. Not to mention Sei... He’ll have to get at him for that later. 

“Hey, Ren how many minutes do I have to get to the store before I’m late?” Aoba asks, unzipping his bag for Ren to poke his head out.

Tongue poking out, Ren replies in his usual monotonous voice, “You have about ten minutes, Aoba.” 

“Ah man, why does this always happen!” Aoba whines. Sure, he may be late a couple days out of the week, but not usually this late. He sets his pace into a light jog while simultaneously trying to eat a donut, heading for work. 

“Aaaand safe!” Aoba yells, exactly ten minutes later, bursting through the door with ragged breaths. He makes it to Heibon just in time, although it seems he’s run into something in the process. 

Looking up, he meets strikingly green eyes. Strikingly green eyes that appear to be glaring at him... Jumping back, Aoba realizes he bumped not into something, but someone. Just his luck.

Aoba bows and apologizes, “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there and uh---” Before he can finish his sentence, he notices that along with his glare the man has a look of confusion written on his face. Why is he confused? Is his bedhead that noticeable? Oh god. Or maybe he had some crumbs left on his face? Wiping what he suspects to be the problem and messing with his hair, he notices that Haga-san is also here.

Taking a step forward Haga-san butts in, “Ah, Aoba-kun! Be more careful next time! I understand you don’t want to be late, but I’m not going to lose it over a couple minutes.” Aoba bows and apologizes to Haga-san as well, who smiles and nods.

“Noiz-kun, are you alright?” Taking his attention off Haga-san he looks to “Noiz”. What an odd name, Aoba thinks. 

Noiz just shrugs and lets out a grunt, the look of confusion gone and replaced with an expressionless face. Bowing his head, Aoba apologizes again, feeling flustered. Why was this guy here anyways? Apparently Haga-san knew him. Hopefully he wasn’t an important customer or something...

At that moment, Haga-san speaks up. “Aoba-kun, this is Noiz-kun. He’ll be starting here today alongside you.” All Aoba can get out is a quick “Eh?” before Haga-san continues. “Lately we’ve been busier than usual and I felt it would be a big help to have an extra helper. Now one of you can do deliveries while the other watches the front of the store and I’ll have more time to get my work done in the back. Good idea, right?” Haga-san smiles looking from Aoba to Noiz, hands on his hips. He looks so proud of himself... Aoba has to hold back a little laugh. Aoba’s actually somewhat relieved. He must admit that he’d been feeling a bit swamped lately, what with the new products they got in recently.

Noiz doesn’t really say anything, let alone give any indication that he’s paying attention to the current situation. Aoba’s getting the feeling this guy’s going to be a handful... Haga-san doesn’t seem to mind his lack of interest, however.

“Anyways, now that we’re all here how about we get to work? Aoba, could you show him the ropes? I’ll be in the back working on the next job.” Haga-san pats Aoba’s shoulder, and heads for the back. 

All Aoba can do is watch him walk away and stand awkwardly next to Noiz. He’s usually really good at striking up a conversation, but Noiz didn’t seem the sociable type. Not to mention with it being his first time meeting him and the first thing he did was bump into him. 

Remembering the glare he got from Noiz, he looks over to see him just standing there, staring at nothing in particular. He notices he not only has beautiful green eyes, but a face full of piercings. Wow, I wonder how much those hurt, Aoba thinks to himself. Realizing he’s being stared at, Noiz turns to Aoba and raises his eyebrows. Or lack of. 

“So? What now, boss?” Noiz says with sarcasm and a bored face that Aoba thinks he’ll be getting used to pretty soon. Aoba closes his mouth that was apparently partially agape. Nice, he thinks. Hopefully Noiz didn’t notice.

Letting out a sigh, Aoba walks past Noiz and further into the store. “Don’t call me that. Just call me Aoba.” Waving his hand, he walks behind the counter and Noiz follows just to where he’s in front of him. ”Okay then, Aoba.” Noiz says, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “What’s next?” Surveying the area, Aoba picks up a clipboard with some papers. “Well, I guess we can start here...” 

Aoba just goes over simple things like the items they sell and different types, their uses, what to say when a customer comes in or calls on the phone, and most importantly, how to act “friendly” with a nice, big smile (which Aoba isn’t so sure Noiz is capable of, if he’s honest). Noiz doesn’t say much, just the occasional grunt to let Aoba know he’s listening. It’s all simple stuff, so Aoba isn’t too worried. Besides, if he thinks Noiz can’t handle the whole nice act, he’ll just send him off to deliver things in his place. 

Aoba’s in the middle of explaining something when Noiz’s stomach growls. Aoba lifts his face from the paper he was looking at up to Noiz. “ Ah, are you hungry?” Aoba asks.

Noiz looks away and shrugs. Heh, is he embarrassed? Being hungry isn’t a big deal, he should just admit it. Looking to his coil Aoba speaks up again, “Well it’s actually about time for lunch, lucky for you. Did you bring something to eat?” Noiz looks to Aoba then and gives him a quick “Nope.” before putting his head on his hand, leaning on the counter.

Aoba usually brings food from home, but since he was running late today, or later than usual, he didn’t have the time to do so. Otherwise, he would’ve shared; although he’s not too sure if Noiz would accept the offer or not. Either way he didn’t haven’t anything to offer at the moment.

Maybe they could eat out? Aoba plays with the idea for a bit... after all he is pretty hungry himself. “Well... if you want we can go grab something to eat? Haga-san won’t mind.” Aoba tells him while scribbling on a piece of paper. He occasionally goes out to eat himself, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Noiz doesn’t reply for a bit so Aoba starts to get a little worried. He should’ve known better than to ask him, based on what he’s seen of Noiz’s personality so far. Just as he’s about to regret even asking, Noiz suddenly gets up and walks towards the door. “Are we going or what?” Noiz says nonchalantly. He’s holding it open for Aoba, looking outside. Aoba’s somewhat shocked, but a small smile appears on his face. What a brat. 

Getting up from his seat, Aoba gives a quick reply, “One sec! I have to let Haga-san know.” Quickly making his way towards the back, Noiz follows Aoba with his eyes, furrowing his brows. That guy... his train of thought is interrupted when his stomach rumbles again. 

He could really go for some pizza.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you to Lyka for beta reading this for me :D I hope you all enjoy =u=

After getting permission from Haga-san, Aoba hurried to the front of the store. Quickly grabbing his bag before making his way through the door Noiz was holding open for him.

Stepping outside, Aoba was glad to see it was a beautiful day. The sun was out with only a couple clouds floating around, not to mention it was the perfect temperature. “Ah~ it feels so nice out! Don’t you agree, Noiz?” 

Noiz started to walk ahead of him then, merely shrugging. Tough crowd, Aoba thought. Well, within the past couple hours of getting to know Noiz (if you could call it that) he’d learned not to take it to heart. He was probably the type who wasn’t good with people he’d just met. He was surprised Noiz even agreed to eat out with him to begin with, so that was a start at least.

Shaking it off, Aoba decided to move onto the task at hand: What to eat. While he was pondering what to suggest, he noticed that Noiz seemed to have a destination in mind. He had been mindlessly following Noiz so he hadn’t realized Noiz was obviously walking around with purpose. Noticing that, Aoba quickened his pace to walk next to Noiz, rather than behind him.

“Hey Noiz, do you already know what you want to eat?” 

“You’ll see.” 

Aoba didn’t really have any idea where to go himself, so he just went with it. 

Making their way through town, Aoba wondered where exactly Noiz wanted to go. They had been walking for about ten minutes, when they came to an area he was very familiar with. Turning a corner, Aoba had a hunch as to where they might be eating.

“Here.” Noiz says, pointing to a small restaurant with a sign that reads “Toue’s Pizza”, confirming Aoba’s hunch. Walking up to the store Aoba has a small grin. It’s been awhile since he’s come here to eat, so he’s somewhat happy. After all...

As they open the door, the small bells at the top alarm everyone of their presence. Quickly, they’re welcomed by a cheerful voice.

“Welcome to Toue’s Pizza! How many -- Ah! Aoba-san!” 

Coming from behind the counter is Clear, one of Aoba’s good friends. He’s sporting a huge smile like usual and Aoba can tell he’s trying his best not to run up and hug him, being at work and all. Not to mention his grandfather would give him an ear full otherwise. 

“It’s been awhile since you’ve come to eat here!” The cheerful man gives a pout.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I normally don’t get the chance to eat out too often.” 

“Don’t worry about it Aoba-san, you’re here now! So is it just you or...” Clear looks to Noiz then, obviously confused. He was probably wondering who this guy was considering they walked in together. 

“Noiz-san are you and Aoba-san eating together?” Wait. Clear knows Noiz?

“Clear you know Noiz?” Maybe Aoba shouldn’t have been so surprised, but he really couldn’t help it. 

“Of course! Noiz-san is a prized customer! He comes a couple times every week, sometimes every day!” 

Aoba raises his eyebrows then, somehow even more surprised. Does Noiz really like pizza that much? He looks to Noiz then, for some sort of explanation, which in turn causes Noiz to sigh.

“Can we just get seated now?” Noiz says.

“Ah yes right away!” Quickly, Clear grabs two menus and leads the two to a booth by a window. Noiz sits down first and Aoba takes the seat across from him, setting his bag down beside him. 

“What would you two like to drink?” Clear asks as he hands them their menus. 

Thinking for a moment, Aoba decides to go with a Coke. Clear looks back to Noiz then, “Noiz-san, do you want the usual?” The usual he says. Aoba had always seen it on TV where people would frequent a place enough to be able to say “the usual”, but never has he heard it in real life. He not too sure if he should be impressed or not, but either way he’s having a hard time holding in his laughter.

Noiz nods then, and Clear smiles and walks away.

“Hey, Noiz... what’s the usual you got?” The tone of voice he uses earns him a scowl from Noiz. He really couldn’t help himself, though. Leaning forward on the table, Aoba puts his head on both his hands, waiting for Noiz’s answer.

“It’s a strawberry milkshake.” Oh god. The way Noiz replies, so matter a factly, Aoba can’t hold it in. He starts chuckling at Noiz then, covering his mouth. He’s really scowling at him now. He’s just like a kid, ordering something like that.

“Ahaha! Sorry, sorry! It’s just... you always look so serious I-I didn’t think--” Noiz just watches Aoba, brows raised. He really is over exaggerating. 

Rubbing the tear forming in his eye, Aoba finally finishes his sentence. “I just didn’t think you’d have such an innocent side to you I guess.” Innocent? What so innocent about a milkshake? Noiz doesn’t really get it, but he decides not to pursue the subject. This guy's an odd one.   
Aoba calms down, with his laughing fit having ceased and decides to finally look at the menu. Still watching Aoba, Noiz notices he has hazel eyes. They’re not what he’s used to, and he catches himself staring for too long. 

“You don’t need to look at that.” He says, looking away.

“Eh? What do you mean?” 

“You’ll see.” Noiz really likes that phrase, Aoba notes.

Right then, Clear comes back with their drinks, smile and all.

“So, are we ready to order?”

“Ah no---” Aoba’s quickly cut off by Noiz, who replies with a “Yes.” 

“Wait Noiz I’m not--” Leaning towards Clear, Noiz whispers something to which he nods, grabs the menus and walks away. Honestly that Clear! He completely ignored what Aoba was trying to tell him.

Acting like nothing happened, Noiz starts messing around on his coil. 

“You know, I wasn’t ready yet, Noiz.” Aoba’s somewhat irritated, having been cut off not once, but twice.

“I know,” He says nonchalantly. “just wait.”

Aoba gives up at that, deciding it couldn’t be too bad to put some trust in Noiz’s taste in food. This guy really does play to his own tune, however. It’s a bit irritating, but it’s also interesting in it’s own way.

As they wait for their food, Noiz just continues to play what seems to be a game on his coil. He has the volume off, so he can’t be too sure. 

Curious, Aoba leans forward again, “So, what game are you playing?”

Glancing up, Noiz decides to show what he’s playing to Aoba. On the screen is what looks to be a mini Noiz avatar running around holding a net. “Ah! I know that game!” Aoba practically shouts.

“Do you?” Noiz seems surprised, it is a bit of an older game so he didn’t expect him to know what it was.

“Yeah, Animal Crossing right? I used to play that with my brother all the time! Clear actually got into it for a while with us too. We should play sometime!” 

Watching the grin that spreads on Aoba’s face, Noiz finds himself saying “sure” without really meaning to.

Aoba gets into telling Noiz about how him and his twin brother, Sei, would play that game for hours. When Clear caught wind of it, he decided to try it alongside them. He goes on to tell him that his favorite villager is Julian and how jealous he was that Sei had him in his town and not him. Noiz doesn’t really say much in response, just the occasional “Hmm’s”, but Aoba doesn’t seem to mind. 

Aoba was in the middle of telling Noiz how Resseti apparently reminds Aoba of his grandmother (something about always yelling), when Clear makes his way back with the secret pizza that Noiz had ordered. Aoba isn’t going to lie, it smells pretty damn good and it’s making him realize how hungry he is all over again.

“Sorry for the wait Aoba-san, Noiz-san! Here’s your order.”

Setting the pizza down, Aoba is confused at what he’s looking at. He expected a typical, ordinary pizza, what was in front of him however was anything but. If he wasn’t mistaken, he could’ve sworn those were eggs on top of the pizza.

“Uh... Noiz? What is this?” 

“Lunch.”

Without an ounce of hesitation, Noiz grabs a slice and brings it to his mouth. Aoba is still in a state of shock and confusion. He had never heard of people having eggs on their pizza before. Only when he’s halfway through his slice does Noiz realize that Aoba hasn’t had any.

“Just try it, it’s good.” 

Taking a slice of his own, Aoba slowly brings it to his own mouth, after thoroughly investigating it. He’s a bit skeptical, but tries it anyways. It’s actually... pretty good, he thinks. He takes another couple bites and before he knows it, he’s onto his second piece.  
The two finish up the whole pizza and lean back, stomachs stuffed. It's been awhile since Aoba’s eaten so much, and he’s already regretting it. 

“You two look pretty satisfied.” Clear’s back again, check in hand. “I’m glad you two enjoyed it so much!” 

“It was really good, I couldn't eat another bite!” Aoba sounds like he’s on the verge of dieing, having eaten so much. If Haga-san asks him to do a delivery today, he’s definitely a goner.

Giggling, Clear puts the check on the table. “You guys can pay for this upfront, okay? It was nice seeing you both!” Smiling, he heads off for the last time.

Both Noiz and Aoba grab for the check at the same time, causing the two to have a short stare down. Noiz insists that he can pay for it himself, but Aoba being as stubborn as he is, won’t have it. 

“As your boss I’ll pay for it.” 

“I thought you said you weren’t my boss.” Noiz quips.

Squinting at the brat in front of him, Aoba comes to a settlement. “Well then how about I pay for half?” Noiz just nods then, not wanting to drag this on. 

It’s a bit odd, though. Most people would just let him pay. Wasn’t this why he asked him to come out to eat with him to begin with? He couldn’t begin to understand Aoba’s thought process. However, the look of accomplishment on Aoba’s face tells him that isn’t the case. After paying at the counter, the two head out.

“Ahhh that was really good! I’m so full, I feel like I can barely move.” Groaning Aoba pats his stomach. He’s really glad he asked Noiz to eat out today, he had fun. 

“Hey Noiz, thanks for getting me to try something new today, although I was a little freaked out by it at first.” Letting out a light laugh, he looks over to Noiz. 

“It’s nothing.” He says, walking past Aoba a bit. 

Once again Aoba speeds up to match Noiz’s pace, and the two head back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay thanks for reading the second chapter ^o^ I'm trying my best not to procrastinate on this. I actually found out about eggs being on pizza from Diners, Drive ins and Dines so big shout out to Guy Fieri lol


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Sei teasing Aoba, Noiz being a brat, and Koujaku being chased by fans. Also known as Daily Life by Aoba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a biiiit longer than the others, but I decided not to divide it into two anyways, so I hope that's alright! This was beta'd by my good friend [Lucy](http://von-bats.tumblr.com/) who I can never thank enough! ^o^

After lunch, the rest of the work day goes by in a sort of lazy daze. No deliveries had to be made, which Aoba was thankful for, as he was way too stuffed. The walk back to work was a struggle enough in itself.

Enjoying the down time, Aoba showed Noiz a few more things to do around the store and even let him have a try at talking to some of the customers on the phone. It might have been a little too early for that, as he was a bit too curt when speaking to them, but that was expected of Noiz. They’d need to work a bit more on that...

It’s almost time to go when Haga-san makes an appearance from the back of the store, walking up to where the two men were sitting.

“Aoba-kun, Noiz-kun, thank you for your hard work today!”

“Ah, no problem! Same to you!” Aoba replies, smiling.

“So, how did training Noiz-kun go?”

“It went pretty well, he’s a fast learner! Although, I would say he needs to work on his people skills a bit more...” Aoba says, looking to the blonde who was purposely avoiding eye contact.

Haga-san just laughs and pats Aoba and Noiz on the shoulders.

“Well he’s got plenty of time to learn and he has a good teacher, things will work out. What about you Noiz-kun, how was your first day?”

“Fine.” 

“Hmm, I see what you mean now, Aoba-kun.” Haga-san says, looking to Aoba. The two begin to laugh. Noiz scowled towards them, only to encourage it further

“Anyways, it’s about time you two head home, have a good evening boys!”

“You too!” Aoba says and with that, he gets up to grab his things. Noiz is up at the same time and starts to head for the door. Noticing this Aoba lets out a quick “See you tomorrow, Noiz!”

Opening the door, Noiz looks back slightly, before fully exiting.

“Later.”

\--

Not too long after Noiz, Aoba makes his way out the door. He thinks a bit about the hours previous, and about his new coworker. Noiz was definitely a bit of an antisocial brat, but he didn’t seem like a bad person, not to mention he had a thing for pizza. The thought of him being a regular at the neighborhood pizza place makes Aoba smile to himself, it really did surprise him. He could understand eating pizza every now and then, but sometimes everyday out of the entire week? That was pushing it a bit.

While still immersed in his thoughts, Aoba makes it to his neighborhood quicker than he’d realized, and he’d even forgotten to let Ren out on the way. He always took Ren out of sleep mode after work so the two could chat while walking.

Feeling a little bad about forgetting the dark furred pup, Aoba decides to hurry up a bit more in order to let him out once he got home instead. Not even five minutes later, and he’s at the gate, making his way to the door. Speaking of which, he wasn’t sure if he’d remembered to lock it this morning. Cringing a little at the thought, he slowly opened the door.

“I’m home!” he yells, stepping into the foyer.

He sets his bag down, and sits down next to it in order to let Ren out. Unzipping the zipper, he pulls Ren out and turns him on, the sound of him powering up starting immediately.

“Aoba,” Ren says, looking around the room, “you’re home already.”

“Ah, yeah, sorry about that Ren. I forgot to turn you on right after work.” Aoba says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He really did feel a little guilty, this was unlike him.

“No worries, Aoba. You got home safely and that’s what counts.” Ren says, tail wagging.

Hearing his All Mate’s kind words, Aoba begins to feel a little better, and let’s out a grin. Lifting the small pup up to eye level, he puts his forehead to Ren’s. 

“Thank you, Ren.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He says, returning the gesture and adding a small lick to Aoba’s nose when he begins to pull away.

During the short exchange, Sei suddenly calls from upstairs, interrupting the pair.

“Aoba, welcome back!” 

“Talk about a late welcome.” Aoba says, looking over to Ren who was still wagging his tail. He decides the two of them can head upstairs as well and proceeds to stand up, Ren in tow.

Walking up the stairs and turning the corner, he makes his way to Sei’s room. Upon nearing the room, he notices the door is open, and stops in the doorway. 

The older twin was sitting on his bed reading a book, as he often did. His back was against the headboard of his bed, stuffed animals and pillows surrounding him. He had on a black sweater and shorts, along with the black rimmed glasses he always wore when reading. The book he was holding looked to be another long one, and he was already more than halfway done with it. If Aoba recalled correctly, he’d only gotten that book last week too. 

Aoba sets Ren down who then immediately runs over to Sei’s allmate, a black cat named Jiji. The cat was lounging on his little bed on the floor taking a nap, Ren running over to join him. Despite Ren being a dog and Jiji being a cat, the two actually get along very well. They often lazed around the house, chatted about whatever was going on (including complaints of Ren’s admirer, Clara), or would spend their time watching their owners messing around like they always did.

Noticing Aoba’s presence, the black haired man looks up from his book and greets Aoba again, “Hey, how was work?” 

“Seeeiii,” Aoba chides, putting his hands on his hips, “don’t give me that ‘Hey, how was work?’ junk! Don’t think I forgot what happened this morning!” 

Smiling, Sei plays dumb, “This morning? I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Aoba. Although...” He continues, pushing up his glasses. “I do recall you being late for work again. You really should work on that, you know.” 

Right away, Aoba’s face shows his disbelief, his eyes widening and mouth slightly agape. Honestly, messing with Aoba was so easy and fun, how could he resist?

With that, Aoba has had enough, “Aghh! You’re really asking for it, Sei!” 

Striding from his spot in the doorway, Aoba makes his way towards the bed, and pounces onto Sei, barely giving him time to cast his book to the side. Without hesitation, the blue haired man straddles his brother who was now laying on his back, and reaches over to start tickling his sides. 

“Wha- Aoba.. aha, s-stop...!” He giggles, kicking his legs.

“Not a chance, this is your punishment for teasing your brother.” 

“I don’t -- haha! -- know, w-what you’re talking about!” Sei shouts. 

Aoba’s tickling intensifies, causing Sei to yelp out in surprise. Squirming around, he’s able to turn onto his side a little when he sees one of his pillows and somehow manages to grab it, turning back around to hit Aoba with it.

“Haha -- Get off me, you psycho!”

“That’s a bit rude, don’t you thin -- Ow!” 

Getting hit square in the face, Aoba ends up losing his balance and removes one of his hands from Sei’s side to keep from falling backwards. Seizing the opportunity, Sei pushes Aoba over, knocking him off his legs just enough for him to escape.

Before Aoba has a chance to regain himself, Sei is quickly crawling to the end of the bed and jumps to the floor. He hits Aoba a couple more times, all the while trying to avoid the hands that are attempting to grab ahold of him. The two continue playing around for a few more minutes before Aoba finally gives up and yells mercy, having been hit in the face a sufficient amount of times. Sei really had a good arm. By the time they finish, the both of them panting, a slight sheen of sweat making an appearance on their skin.

Hearing the words of his victory, Sei backs up and throws the pillow at Aoba’s face one last time, earning an ‘oof!’ from his brother. Triumphantly, he puts his hands on his hips, while looking down at Aoba, who was still sitting on the bed, his hair a complete mess.

“Haha, you should’ve known better than to challenge the Almighty Sei! You know I always win Aoba, I don’t know why you bother.” 

Removing the pillow from his face for the umpteenth time, Aoba sits up, taking off his jacket, and blowing his bangs out of his face. 

“Oh shut up, you do not win every time! Besides, I blame the jacket, I should’ve taken it off beforehand...” 

“Either way, you lost and you know what that means~” Sei chimes.

Groaning, Aoba plops backwards onto the bed. “Fine. What do you want?”

Putting his finger to his mouth Sei ponders just what he can get out of his younger twin this time. 

“Hmm.. well since Granny isn’t home and we have to make dinner anyways... I’d say an ice cream bar from the convenience store.” 

Letting out a sigh, Aoba pouts, “Alright, let’s go.” 

Getting up from Sei’s bed he sees Ren and Jiji somehow sleeping peacefully on the small bed. The trip to the convenience store was only about a ten minute walk, so he decides he can let the two stay home for a few minutes. Grabbing his jacket to put away, he starts to head back downstairs, a cheering Sei trailing behind.

\--

After making sure to lock up (with Sei’s reminding), the two set out to the convenience store. It was cool outside, a nice contrast to how Aoba was feeling inside after that tickling episode they had. The sun was only just beginning to set, a light orange color painting the cloudless sky. He was still a bit sweaty and the light breeze felt nice on his skin and hair.

Enjoying the weather, Aoba turns to Sei, who still has that stupid smile on his face from getting a free ice cream bar out of him. He’s about to pinch it off his face when Sei looks over to him as well.

“So, for dinner I was thinking of copping out and getting some pizza, what do you think?”

“Eh, pizza? Pfft.” Covering his laugh, Aoba looks away. Really, pizza of all things... 

“What the hell is so funny about pizza?” Sei questions.

“Ah, nothing, it’s just I actually had pizza today at work. Haga-san hired someone today and I asked if he wanted to go out to lunch.”

“Oooo, was it a date?” Sei teases, while simultaneously bumping into Aoba’s side. “Who would’ve thought you’d be so bold on the first day.”

Blushing, Aoba raises his voice a little. “What? No way! We were just both hungry and I thought it would be a good idea.” 

“Ah, yes, very convincing, Aoba. So, is he cute?”

“I’m serious, it wasn’t a date!” Aoba says, “and well, cute... he’s---”

Making it to the end of their street, the two begin to turn the corner onto the street of the convenience store. As they’re walking closer, they notice there’s a group of girls standing out front, seemingly looking for someone, or something. As to who or what, the question is answered when a voice comes from behind them, interrupting their conversation. 

“Hm? Who’s cute, Aoba?” 

Jumping, Aoba spins around to see his best friend, standing on the side of the road, somewhat hidden in the nearby bushes.

“Eh?! Koujaku! Why are you--” Rushing from his hiding spot and over to where the blue haired man is in the middle of the road, Koujaku quickly covers Aoba’s mouth, trying to shush him up.

“Learn to be quiet, will you? Can’t you see I’m in hiding at the moment.” He says.

Ah, the girls at the front of the store, Aoba thinks. Koujaku sure has it rough sometimes... If he doesn’t want to hang out with them he should just say so, but then again they might not take it so lightly if their ‘Amazing Koujaku’ were to deny them his presence. He rolls his eyes just at the thought.

“Actually, Koujaku, Aoba was just telling me about a date he went on with his cute new co-worker.” Sei chimes in, sly smile on his face.

Not noticing what Sei is up to, Koujaku raises his brows then. Aoba? On a date? He can’t even recall the last time he’d heard something like that. Aoba never really seemed to care about dating, so it actually somewhat surprised him. Sure he knew his best friend wasn’t completely innocent, but he never had any girlfriends or anything. Looking over to Aoba for confirmation, he notices just how red Aoba is. No way...

“Sei, don’t go giving Koujaku weird ideas!” Aoba shouts, pulling Koujaku’s hand off his mouth.

“What are you talking about, Aoba? You two went out to eat alone and you invited him yourself.” 

‘Him?’ Koujaku notes. Wait. Was Aoba into guys? Why had he never told him? They were best friends after all. Did he not trust him? No... maybe it just wasn’t something he thought to bring up.

“Aoba... did you really go on a date?” Koujaku asks, genuinely interested.

“Honestly! Koujaku, don’t listen to him. He’s only trying to give me a hard time.” Aoba says. He’s getting louder now, but Sei doesn’t let up on the teasing. 

“If you know that much, Aoba, why are you getting so defensive?” Sei says.

The two keep up with their playful bickering and Koujaku tries his best to calm the two down. This sort of thing happens all too often, so he’s pretty used to it. However, with all the fun the three are having, they don’t realize how big of a commotion they’re causing, catching the attention of Koujaku’s fans, who were still lingering around the area.

“Ah! There he is! Koujaku-san!” One of the girls yell, alerting the others around her. Like a stampede, the girls make their way to the trio all at once.

“Ah, looks like that’s my cue to go.” Koujaku says, “Don’t forget to tell me about your date later, Aoba!” He waves, walking away towards the girls. 

“I told you, it wasn’t a date!” Aoba whines, face still red.

Watching his best friend walk away, there’s nothing he can do to convince him now, he’ll have to tell him later. After Koujaku and his groupies leave, he quickly turns to face Sei, who had apparently been slowly inching away from him.

“Sei,” he says, stopping his older brother in his tracks, a look of ‘I went too far’ evident on his face. “no more ice cream for you.” 

“Ehh? Aoba, no way!” 

“And you get to do the dishes tonight!” Aoba says, crossing his arms.

“What! That’s unfair, Aoba.” He whines.

Not listening to his older brother, the blue haired man turns around, beginning to walk to the convenience store again. With the girls and Koujaku gone, it’s just the two of them. 

Not getting a response, Sei begins to trail after Aoba, admitting defeat. feeling bad, Sei keeps quiet, and the rest of the walk is a silent one. Upon entering the store, the raven haired man’s eyes find the ice cream, making him pout as they pass by. 

\--

During their trip to the convenience store, the two decided to go with curry for dinner in the end. It was one of Aoba’s favorites, and Sei figured he could treat Aoba after all the teasing he did that day.

His younger brother had sulked a little while they were shopping, but eventually started to perk back up. He could never stay mad at Sei for too long, whether that was a blessing or a curse, only Aoba knew. The walk back home was pleasant as well, the two no longer being quiet. Despite not getting his ice cream, Sei was back in a good mood.

Now back at home, the two had begun to prepare dinner. Aoba was busy attempting to chop some potatoes, apron on and his hair up, face determined. Sei was on the right of him, rinsing off some carrots at the sink, as well as secretly keeping an eye on his younger brother to make sure he wasn’t about to cut off his fingers.

Whenever Aoba caught Granny or Sei watching him, he would claim he was ‘perfectly able to handle a knife’ and insisted they leave him alone. Even with Aoba’s constant reassurances, the two weren’t completely convinced, which was why they had begun to watch him in a more subtle manner.

It took a bit of convincing to get them to let him cook, but after a while Granny and Sei caved. He’d been so enthusiastic about learning to cook, that they had no choice but to let him give it a shot, despite knowing how much of a clutz the blue haired man could be. To their surprise and relief, however, Aoba had managed to greatly improve his knife skills within just a few weeks. Nowadays, watching Aoba had become more of a thing of habit than one of worry, if Sei were being honest. 

“Sei, are you done with the carrots yet?” Aoba questions, cutting Sei off from his thoughts.

“Oh yeah, sorry. Here you go.” He says, washing the last carrot.

He passes the strainer over to Aoba who had been patiently waiting. When the younger twin started cutting them, however, Sei didn’t look away.

“What,” Aoba said looking up from the cutting board, “are you worried I’ll cut myself? I told you not to worry about that anymore.”

“Haha, no, no I swear that’s not it!” He says, throwing his hands up in surrender, “ I was just thinking about earlier.” 

“Earlier?” 

“Yeah, about that guy you ate lunch with today. Sorry I teased you so much about it.”

“Oh,” Aoba says, looking back to the vegetables, “don’t worry about it, I’m used to it.”

“I know, but I may have went a little too far.” Sei says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I told you, it’s fine, don’t worry about it! I just hope Koujaku doesn’t give me too much of a hard time about it.” Aoba says, grimacing at the thought.

“Oh, you know he will.” Sei says, causing the two to chuckle.  
Amused, the two begin to poke jokes at Koujaku and his sense of fatherly duty. He had always been like that, ever since they were little, even back in elementary school. He and Mizuki could always be found lending a helping hand to the twins, no matter the situation. They knew that Koujaku was always watching over them, so there was no way he’d let something like a date slide. Especially not when it came to his precious Aoba. 

The two younger boys had always worn their hair long, and because of it were often teased by the other kids who would call them girls. Not only that, but much like today, Sei had a taste for wearing skirts and things of the like, which also played a part in the bullying they tended to receive.

Even if their schoolmates teased him about what he wore, Sei continued to do so anyways, saying their opinions didn’t matter. It was a trait Aoba had and still did admire about his older brother. In his younger days, Aoba cared a lot about what people thought about him, which often led to tears falling on his end. 

Almost every time without fail, if the two were being harassed, Koujaku and Mizuki would arrive on the scene. They knew very well what they were getting into by now, Aoba crying and Sei defending him from the brats who had begun it all. Without hesitation the two would rush to their aid and fend the children off to help the boys, saving the day. It was a bit embarrassing to think back on how many times such an event had unfolded, but it was also a fond memory the four shared.

While reminiscing and sharing some laughs about the past, the two men had just about finished preparing the food, and had started to clean up their mess made during the process. Aoba found that a small smile had appeared on his face sometime during it all. 

It was simple things like this that made him happy. Spending time with a loved one, talking about happy memories and just doing miniscule daily things. It was something that meant a lot to him, especially after their parents had abandoned them. He had realized how important these things really were, as did Sei.

After sometime, they had just about finished with the cleaning. The counter was thoroughly wiped down and the dishes were squeaky clean. All that was left now was for the food to finish cooking and to dig in.

Sei leaned back on the counter, drying his hands with a towel and let out a sigh of accomplishment. Aoba was in front of him, humming to himself, and putting a few forgotten spices back into the pantry.

“But seriously, Aoba be prepared for Koujaku’s questioning. He’s probably really curious about this whole thing considering you haven’t really dated much.” Sei says, tossing the hand towel onto the counter.

“Wow, and I wonder who’s fault it is that Koujaku’s so curious.” 

Letting out a small laugh the black haired man continues, “Really, though, can I ask more about this coworker of yours? Even though you went out to eat with him I still haven’t heard all the details.” 

Smile on his face, Sei waits for Aoba to spill the beans. He knows his brother could never keep anything from him, and the same went for him as well. They always confided in each other and dished out all the gossip they had stored up throughout their days as soon as they got home. Especially when it had to deal with a potential romance. 

Most of Aoba’s romantic encounters dealt with creepy guys telling him he had a nice voice over the phone, or the rare cute customer that came to the junk shop. So hearing there was a new guy in the mix was exciting news. 

Sei on the other hand often complained about a certain someone who he’d had his eyes on for quite sometime. Someone who was too much of a sweetheart, as well as too frustratingly dense to notice the moves Sei had been making on him, but that was a different story. 

Undoing the apron he had on to hang it up, Aoba turns to face his expectant brother, and walks over to hop onto the counter, sitting beside him. 

“Well, since you’re asking...” He says, a mischievous grin on his face, “I guess I could tell you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Hope you enjoyed, I'll try to release the next chapter a LOT faster than how long this one took lol.


	4. Chapter 4

It was Thursday morning, or as Aoba saw it, the fourth day he and Noiz would be working together. If the blue haired man were being honest, he’d have to say he was still a little intimidated by his new co-worker, but nowhere near as much as when he bumped into him on their first meeting.

Aoba was sitting at the reception desk, stifling a huge yawn while simultaneously checking the deliveries that had to be made that day. The earliest one being a package that had to be delivered at around noon, so he had time to relax until then.

He had ended up staying up late with Sei again last night, not from their usual gaming escapades, however, but rather from having a nice long chat about Aoba’s new and antisocial brat of a co-worker. 

After bringing Noiz up while making dinner, the two sat down at the dining room table while Sei bombarded Aoba with question after question. The younger brother happily answered all of them, despite being slightly embarrassed. He could tell Sei anything, that much he knew. The feeling was mutual with the black haired man as well, as Aoba often asked about his crush. Whether or not this had to do with them being twins or just getting along in general, the two enjoyed being able to talk freely amongst themselves without fear of judgement. 

To start, Aoba told Sei about how they had decided to eat at Toue’s pizza, where they ran into Clear. He also told him about how apparently Noiz was a bit of a regular there and his “usual” drink. Sei thought it all to be quite humorous, but also quite interesting. The two of them had often eaten at Toue’s pizza as well, but hadn’t recalled seeing Noiz at all back then. For sure the sight of a sulky teenager drinking a milkshake by himself was something to remember wasn’t it? The memory suddenly appearing in his mind causes Aoba to break into a small laugh. He tries to cover up his laughter, but is too late, in turn catching Noiz’s attention. 

The blonde had been meandering around the shop, glancing at the shelves packed full with merchandise when he heard Aoba’s sudden chuckle. The two hadn’t said much other than a ‘good morning’ to Haga-san who had already disappeared into the back to do a repair on a customer’s Allmate. They didn’t have much to do until around an hour or so from now, which was when the first delivery had to be made. 

Bored, Noiz decides to entertain himself a little and walks over to the counter, where Aoba is sitting, his hand covering his mouth.

“What are you laughing to yourself like an idiot for?” He says, putting his bandaged hand on the counter, grabbing a pen that was laying around.

Seriously, the first thing out of his mouth just had to be some sass didn’t it? 

Uncovering his mouth, Aoba straightens up from the position he was in. “Now, now. Is that how you talk to your boss, Noiz-kun?” 

Clicking his tongue, Noiz ignores what his ‘boss’ said and begins to walk away. Why had he even spoken up? 

Noticing the young man walking off, Aoba leans forward and grabs onto Noiz’s sleeve. “Ah, Noiz! Wait a sec.” 

The man pauses momentarily, then slowly turns back around to face Aoba. He looks a little irritated, but nothing he couldn’t deal with.

“What?”

“I’ve got something for you to do,” the blue haired man says, scooting his chair back and reaching under the desk, rummaging around a little until he seems to find what he was looking for. Fully getting out of his chair, Aoba leans down again and reemerges with a medium sized box, filled to the brim with random items and old parts. 

Getting up, Aoba heads around the desk and lugs the heavy box over to Noiz, who had been standing where Aoba left him. He offers the box over to his sulky coworker, who reluctantly takes it from his grasp. 

“Follow me,” Aoba says leading Noiz towards a wall of shelves. The blonde followed without saying a word, box in hand. Despite being a brat, he could be surprisingly obedient. 

“Okay, so that shelf is mainly for old computer or gaming system parts, things of that nature.” Aoba says, pointing to a shelf on his right. “We typically keep them for repurposing or for customers who want to repair something of their own, since a lot of chain stores don’t carry older parts like these anymore.” 

“This shelf,” he says, pointing to another shelf that was next to the last one, “is more for All Mate parts, and this,” He continues, gesturing to a smaller, shorter shelf on the far end of the wall, “is for more random items. Stuff that looks like it could have some use, I guess. We have a lot of customers who are really into these things, so they always find uses for these old trinkets.” 

Noticing a lack of responses, the blue haired man glances at his coworker to make sure he’s still with him.

“Hey, are you even listening?”

“I am.”

“Are you really?” He questions again, feeling skeptic. Noiz only raises his eyebrows in response and Aoba sighs. Ignoring the lack of enthusiasm he was receiving, Aoba continues with his explanation

“Usually when I’m sorting out items like this, I put the box or whatever container they’re in on the table over there.” 

Following Aoba’s gaze, Noiz notes that between two of the shelves was an older looking table. It was a bit small, housing only a few random items, but it had still had ample space for the box.

Catching Aoba’s drift, the blonde lugged the box of junk over and laid it on the table, Aoba following behind. 

“I’ll help you with some of these, just to give you an idea of what goes where.” Aoba says, reaching into the box, pulling out what looked to be some old gaming system. 

“Ah, look Noiz, isn’t this what Animal Crossing used to be played on? I mean, before coils anyways.”

“Yeah.” He says and Aoba offers a small smile. 

“I used to have one of these, actually! Sei and I had to share one back then and we would often fight over who got to play with it.” 

Noiz hums in return, and reaches into the box himself, pulling out some All Mate parts. 

The two continue sorting out the contents of the box for a few moments, with Aoba telling random stories about Sei and himself when they were younger, and even some stories about his friends Koujaku and Mizuki. Noiz stays silent most of the time, just listening to Aoba and giving a few hums in response to let him know he wasn’t being ignored. 

They fall into a sort of rhythm, each one reaching in to pull out whatever mystery item Haga-san had stashed away in the box and putting them on their designated shelves. Aoba was telling a story about Koujaku and his ridiculous fans when he reached into the box for the umpteenth time, only to realize he had accidently grabbed Noiz’s hand. 

“Ah, sorry Noiz!” He stammers, quickly pulling away. 

Noiz doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even move his hand from where Aoba had left it. He had a look of slight shock on his face, his eyes wider than usual, his eyes fixated on his hand. Was... he alright?

Watching Noiz, Aoba wonders if he should say something else. Maybe Noiz just really hated physical contact? His reaction puzzled him, usually people would just brush it off or something. As he was contemplating what to do, the blonde continued to pull out whatever he was originally grabbing before and puts it away, acting like nothing had happened. 

Aoba stands there a bit awkwardly while Noiz continues to put more things away, and decides now is probably a good time to leave Noiz alone. 

“Ah... Well it looks like you know what you’re doing now, so I’ll be going out on a delivery here soon.” He says.

Getting a grunt in return, the blue haired man nods and begins to walk past Noiz and out to the main aisle. The box was still pretty full, so he figured Noiz would be occupied for another good ten to fifteen minutes or so.

On his way to the reception counter, something on the floor catches his attention. Upon closer inspection, Aoba realizes it was a small All Mate part that must’ve fallen out of the box earlier. Bending over to pick it up, he turns back around to give it to Noiz.

Walking back down the small aisle, he begins to turn into the area where the shelves and Noiz are. Aoba is about to call out to him when he notices the blonde is standing still, no longer putting away the contents of the box like he was when Aoba had left him not even two minutes before. Instead, he was staring at his hand again, a confused look replacing the one of shock he had been wearing earlier. 

Surprised, Aoba found himself quietly backing out of the area Noiz was in, and out into the main aisle. He leaned back on a shelf nearby, and let out a breath. He didn’t know why he was hiding, but something told him that he shouldn’t interrupt the blonde at that moment. 

Looking at the All Mate part in his hand, Aoba shoves it into his jacket pocket. He could put it away later himself.

\--

By the time Noiz returned to where Aoba was, it was about time for him to leave for the delivery. Aoba was still curious about the incident before, but seeing the blonde again, he looked like nothing had happened. Even so, that didn’t mean Aoba didn’t want to know.

Taking his seat next to Aoba, Noiz notices his coworker’s gaze.

“What?” He asks.

Not realizing he’d been staring, Aoba’s taken aback when Noiz addresses him. 

“A-ah nothing...” He says, clearing his throat. Reaching for his bag near his feet, Aoba puts it on the counter, unzipping it. In doing so, he pulls out Ren from where he lay, powering him on, the start up sound hitting their ears, and an immediate ‘Aoba’ which the blue haired man smiled to.

“Just, I’ll be going out on delivery here soon, so that means you’ll be manning the counter on your own for a while.” He says, petting his small All Mate.

“Oh.” Noiz says, shrugging.

“Now just because I’m not here doesn't mean you can go and be a brat to the customers alright!”

“Huh? Who’s a brat here?” Noiz asks, following Aoba with his eyes.

Ignoring Noiz, the older man turned his back to him, grabbing a couple packages stored in a cabinet behind the counter, shoving them into his bag. The addresses weren’t too far, but Aoba estimated he’d be out for about an hour or so. That was a long time for Noiz to be unsupervised, and it was only the fourth day of his working there. 

He thought about maybe letting Noiz go out for delivery instead while he watched the store, but the thought of Noiz wandering off and not coming back on time was something Aoba could definitely see happening. Maybe after a little while more he’d be able to trust Noiz to go out on his own. For now, he’d take the chance of no customers coming in for the next hour, even if the thought of one potentially coming in to deal with Noiz on their own made him cringe. 

Walking back around the counter, his bag now packed full, he stands in front of Noiz, meeting his gaze, and begins to point at him.

“I mean it, alright. Don’t go giving the customers any sass!” 

“I don’t sass.” Noiz says, proving his point.

“That is exactly what I’m talking about.” Aoba says, narrowing his eyes. 

Crossing his arms, Noiz looks down to the papers in front of him. “Whatever.” He says, voice a bit dejected, almost like a child being scolded. Quite frankly, it was almost comical in a way.  
“That’s what I thought.” Aoba says, hands on his hips. To be honest, he was a lot better at dealing with Noiz than he thought he’d be. Putting up with Sei when he was in his bratty moods must’ve been like some sort of training leading up to this point. 

Satisfied, Aoba scoops up Ren who was still standing on the counter watching the whole scene unfold. 

“Aoba,” He says, “are we going on a delivery?”

“Yup, we sure are. Let’s go Ren.”

With his bag and Ren in tow, Aoba heads for the door, leaving Noiz to sulk in his seat at the counter. Aoba being Aoba, however, he still can’t help but worry. After all, it was Noiz he was leaving to deal with customers. Blunt and curt Noiz, who never smiled, never mind being nice.

Hand on the doorknob, Aoba turns to peek over at Noiz, arms still crossed, petulant look on his face. 

“Noiz,” He called, “don’t take too long to pick up the phone either!”

The boy just sighs, saying nothing in reply. 

“And don’t forget to smile!” Aoba adds.

“Also don’t forget to--”

“Alright, alright.” The blonde says, exasperated. “What are you my mom?”

Snickering, Aoba turns the knob, taking a step outside. 

“Fine, I’m off for real this time. Be nice!” He says, waving one last time.

Noiz doesn’t say anything back as usual, but doesn’t seem as annoyed as he let’s on. Completely outside at this point, Aoba checks his coil only to notice that he may have wasted a bit more time than he should’ve.

Setting Ren at his feet, he smiles to his partner.

“Shall we go, Ren?” 

“As you wish.”  
\--

Just as expected, Aoba returns to Heibon in a little over an hour, all packages delivered and not a single unhappy customer. Unlike some people, he has dealing with customers down pat, and he actually gets tipped pretty good because of it.

Walking up to the small store, Aoba is chatting with Ren about nothing in particular when he reaches the window that makes up the face of the store front. Before he walks any further, however, Aoba realizes that someone’s actually inside the store. Shit, they did get a customer after all. 

Curious as to how Noiz is handling the current situation, Aoba peers into the window in a manner that keeps him hidden. Getting a closer look, the blue haired man sees Noiz sitting at the counter, a man in front of him. He can tell they’re talking, but he can’t quite hear what it is through the glass. Looking up to the man in front of Noiz, Aoba comes to realize that this customer isn’t just any ordinary customer, but that it’s Koujaku.

At first, Aoba thinks this is a good thing, a great thing actually. Noiz can practice his customer service on Koujaku, and Aoba can explain the situation later to his best friend. This way Noiz would be getting real life experience and no customers would be offended by the blonde’s usual sass. If he told Koujaku Noiz was just a new coworker and didn’t know how to deal with people properly yet, he was sure he’d understand.

But, wait, why was Koujaku there to begin with? Usually the only time he came to the shop was to see Aoba during his working hours. Not to mention, Aoba wasn’t there, and yet he was still inside. This struck him as a bit odd, as his best friend was definitely not tech savvy, and had no reason to be there other than to see Aoba himself. So, why was he there?

“Aoba?” Ren questions, as he’d stopped talking abruptly. “Is something wrong?”

“Shh, Ren. I’m trying to check something out.” He whispers.

Nodding his head, Ren sits beside Aoba’s feet and waits patiently.

Perhaps he had forgotten something he and Koujaku had planned on before and he was waiting for him? It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened. Aoba stands still by the window, thinking. The last time he saw Koujaku was just the other day, and the only thing they talked about was... Shit.

The last thing they talked about was his ‘date’ with his new coworker, and here Koujaku was, talking with said coworker. Seriously, that hippo didn’t come here just for that did he? What are the odds that Aoba is out when Koujaku decides to come in too. Just perfect. 

Muttering under his breath, Aoba moves from his hiding spot and begins to walk to the door, or speedwalks rather. Ren gets up and follows suit, not missing a beat.

As he opens the door, the bell above chimes, catching Noiz and Koujaku’s attention. 

Surprisingly, Noiz replies with a flat ‘welcome’, probably thinking it’s a customer coming in. Even if it’s the most unfriendly greeting Aoba’s ever heard, he’s a bit proud of the blonde, as foolish as it sounds. 

Realizing it’s Aoba, Koujaku let’s out a grand smile. “Yo, Aoba!” 

Rushing to his friend, Aoba doesn’t greet him back. “Koujaku, what are you doing here?” He says.

“Ah, I just came to visit you is all, but you were out on delivery.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is? Or is there something you’re not telling me?” 

Koujaku’s smile falters a little, and Aoba knows he’s hit the target spot on. Koujaku may be good at putting up a face for the girls he hangs with, but Aoba’s a different story. 

“Ah... well after what Sei said I was a bit curious...” The taller man says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Sighing, Aoba backs off a little. At least he got the truth out of him. The next problem was what exactly did Koujaku said to Noiz while he was gone? If he said anything weird, this hippo was definitely going to be dead. 

Peering at Noiz, Aoba looks over his features. He looks bored as usual, but a bit confused at what was going on. 

“Either way, you should go.” Aoba says, pulling on his best friend's arm.

“Eh? Why all of a sudden, I’m a precious customer, you know.”

“You’re not even going to buy anything!” 

Laughing, Koujaku budges only a little, taking one small step, as Aoba continues to tug him towards the door. It was pretty humorous seeing Aoba struggle to get him out, he was almost like a small dog trying to play tug-of-war.

“Why are you embarrassed, Aoba?” He muses. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“Wha- I am not embarrassed! You’re being a distraction to my student is all.” Aoba huffs.

“Oh? He doesn’t seem to have any qualms about this.” 

“Koujaku, would you just-- ugh!”

Not getting anywhere in his escapade, Aoba let’s go of Koujaku’s arm, and moves over to his other side, to begin pushing him instead. It seems as though this method is a bit better, as Koujaku begins to take a few bigger strides towards the exit. 

“Ah, well looks like I’ve overstayed my welcome.” Koujaku manages to let out, above Aoba’s complaints and his laughter.

“It was nice meeting you, Noiz.” He says, as Aoba kindly shoves him out the door.

As the door shuts, Aoba slumps forward, finally able to relax with that hippo gone. How long had he been here anyways? Thinking of what he could’ve said to Noiz makes him cringe. Sei and Koujaku were number one at embarrassing him, and his absence didn’t stop that trend.

Turning around to glance at Noiz, Aoba wonders just what he’s thinking. He’d witnessed such an embarrassing scene after all, but he just needed Koujaku out before he said anything more. 

Walking over to the counter as casually as he can, Aoba moves past Noiz and takes his seat next to him. Noiz hadn’t said anything during the whole display, so the blue haired man wasn’t sure how to take his silence. It wasn’t unusual for the two to not speak, but he had to make sure Koujaku didn’t say anything weird, otherwise he’d be paranoid about it all day

Rather than torturing himself with his curiosity, Aoba abruptly turns to the blonde seated next to him. 

“So, how long was Koujaku here?” He asks, trying to sound natural. 

Noiz doesn’t really look at Aoba, but merely angles his head slightly towards him to let him know he’s listening.

“... Not long.” He says.

“Is that so.”

That’s it? He should’ve asked something else, he knew Noiz was curt when talking. A few more seconds pass by before Aoba speaks up again.

 

“Did... did he say anything weird?” Aoba asks, shyly.

This time, Noiz turns to face Aoba. Worried he made it too obvious, he continues.

“I mean not exactly weird, but maybe just something that stood out? I guess?” Well, that wasn’t much better. Internally kicking himself, Aoba shuts up and avoids eye contact. 

Raising his eyebrows, Noiz watches Aoba a moment before finally replying. 

“He didn’t say anything weird, he just said he heard about me from you.” 

“Ah, anything else?” Aoba prods. 

“Nothing really.”

“I see. That’s good then.” He says, a sigh of relief leaving him.

“Hm, you’re acting suspicious.” 

“W-what? I am not.”

“What, did you say something about me you don’t want me to know?” Noiz says, smirk growing on his face. 

It wasn’t something he’d said exactly, but hearing Sei’s words ring in his head about their ‘date’ and the fact that Koujaku took the time to come see Noiz himself brings color to his cheeks. This was all ridiculous, and it was all his dumb brother and the hippo’s fault!

“No, now shut up and work will you?” Aoba huffs.

“But your face is red...”

“It definitely isn’t!” Aoba says, voice rising. Getting a bit too caught up in the situation, Aoba lightly elbows Noiz in the arm in an attempt to get him to shut up. When he actually does, shut up however, the older man looks over to see Noiz making a shocked look on his face, similar to when their hands touched earlier.

He probably shouldn’t have done that with the way he reacted earlier, and was now, but before Aoba has a chance to speak up, the look of shock is replaced with his usual bored look, within a few seconds. 

“Whatever you say.” Noiz says, turning away from Aoba.

If Aoba hadn’t looked up when he did and saw what he saw, he wouldn’t have guessed something was up. He’d expect Noiz to make a remark like that, and looking shocked after someone hit you wasn’t anything weird, but after seeing the reaction he had earlier, he knew there was definitely something going on, and he wanted to know what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, the plot finally kicks in! Hopefully things will start to pick up from here, and there will be less work scenes and more group shenanigans and drama >:)   
> Anyways thanks for reading! Beta'd by [Lucy](http://von-bats.tumblr.com/) of course!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! u//u


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